A full-cast three-part adaptation of the Medieval Mystery Plays, introduced by David Buck

During medieval religious holidays in certain English towns and cities, members of the various guilds would gather in the streets to re-enact Bible stories, from the Creation to the Last Judgment. Often staged from dawn to dusk on a single day, they were performed on a procession of pageant wagons, and the actors created all the music and effects themselves. In The Image of God, writer David Buck reworks these ‘mystery plays’ while preserving the stories, characters and attitudes of the original dramas. Told in verse that ranges from moralising to bawdy, this ambitious adaptation vividly recreates the immediacy and accessibility of a street performance in front of a holiday crowd – complete with audience reactions, sound effects and songs.

Included here is an introduction by David Buck, in which he explains the background to his trilogy and reveals how the tradition of the Mystery Plays grew from question-and-answer sequences introduced into the Mass to become popular entertainment for the masses.

Part 1: Creation – Told in chronological order, these thrilling Biblical narratives tell of the War in Heaven in which Lucifer is driven into Hell, the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, and Cain’s murder of Abel, as well as recounting how Noah survives the Flood, Abraham obeys God and Joseph disbelieves the Virgin birth.

Part 2: The Image of Man – Beginning with a version of the Second Shepherd’s Play, in which Mak steals a lamb, here are stories relating the life of Christ, from Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents to Jesus’ temptation by Lucifer, the Miracles, the Last Supper and the Betrayal.

Part 3: Redemption – Christ’s death and resurrection are the subject of these final plays, in which Jesus is tried, Procula distracts Pilate, Barabbas is freed, Jesus is crucified and rises from the dead, the damned are released from Hell and the Son of God returns to his Father’s right hand.

Featuring a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of classic radio acting talent, the ensemble cast includes Timothy West as The Prologue, Denis Quilley as God, Peter Jeffrey as Lucifer, Hannah Gordon as Eve, Julian Glover as Cain, Richard Briers as Noah, John Rowe as Jesus, Annette Crosbie as Mary Magdalene, John Shrapnel as Judas, Nigel Anthony as John the Baptist and David Buck himself as Herod.

NB: The attitudes in this production reflect the medieval era in which the plays were first staged.

First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 18 March - 3 April 1980

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